Mike Johnston: Mastermind of Hockey Innovation and Leadership
Mike Johnston: Mastermind of Hockey Innovation and Leadership

Mike Johnston: Mastermind of Hockey Innovation and Leadership

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With a coaching record that dates back to 1982, Mike Johnston has seen it all at the highest level of the game and has created a factory of turning out NHL talent for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.

During his time coaching, Johnston has played a key role in helping 41 players get drafted, including nine first-rounders like Seth Jarvis, Seth Jones, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Nino Neiderreiter.

His trophy case includes six World Championship medals, three of which are gold, three World Junior gold medals, and a WHL Championship.

Johnston is a coaching legend and we’re fortunate to have him involved in TCS Live 2025, taking place June 12-14 at the University of Michigan. The extensive experience he has to draw from ensures his presentation will be one of the most anticipated of the event.

Johnston’s coaching journey started at the collegiate level in Canada where he was the Head Coach for Camrose Lutheran College. After five years with Camrose, he joined the University of Calgary for two seasons as an Assistant Coach and finished his Canadian collegiate coaching back at the helm for the University of New Brunswick for five seasons.

With 12 years of coaching experience under his belt, Johnston caught the eye of Hockey Canada who named him an Assistant Coach for the Canadian World Junior Championships team from 1994 to 1996. While on the coaching staff, Canada captured three gold medals at the prestigious tournament.

His stay with Hockey Canada lasted through 1999, serving in a variety of roles, such as Canada’s General Manager or Assistant Coach for many different international tournaments including the World Championships, World Cup of Hockey, and 1998 Olympics in Nagano. Johnston was also the Head Coach of Team Canada for the 1998 Spengler Cup, a tournament Canada won.

With such a well-established reputation built, it was only a matter of time before the NHL came calling. In 1999 Johnston was hired by the Vancouver Canucks as their Assistant Coach. After five seasons in Vancouver, he joined the Los Angeles Kings as an Assistant Coach and worked with the team for three seasons.

Tobias Johansson - TCS Live Presenter

In 2008, a new opportunity arose for Johnston in the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks. He was hired as their General Manager and Head Coach. Under Johnston’s leadership, the Winterhawks had six historic seasons, including five WHL Final appearances and one Championship in 2013. In his six-season stint, Johnston recorded a 231-114-10-10 record, placing his name as second on the Winterhawks’ all-time wins list.

Achieving success like this does not go unnoticed and naturally, the NHL came calling again.

Following six remarkable seasons in Portland, Johnston went back to the NHL serving as the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In his first season, he led the club to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and achieved a 58-37-15 record during his tenure. The fit wasn’t right with the Penguins, unfortunately, and the following season, returned to the Portland Winterhawks.

Tobias Johansson - TCS Live Presenter

In his first season back, Johnston earned the WHL’s Coach of the Year award. In 2023, he recorded his 500th WHL win making him just the 11th coach in the league to do so. In the summer of 2024, Johnston stepped away from the bench and moved to the suite level where he is now the Vice President and General Manager of the Winterhawks.

Tobias Johansson - TCS Live Presenter

What exactly helped Johnston stand out and achieve such success behind the bench? Innovation. To develop his players, Johnston recognized that he always needs to figure out new ways to coach his players and teach them specific skills they need to be successful during game action. Johnston will even look to other sports to gain inspiration on how he can incorporate skills primarily used in other sports that can transfer over to hockey. It is compensation for Johnston’s creativity and forward-thinking thought process that has allowed him to achieve tremendous success at a variety of levels of the game.

What also makes Johnston a great leader is his willingness to be open to his players and staff. He ensures that all members are heard and that the ideas that are brought to the table align with the team’s goals. Johnston never sees himself as above others and has been able to create the ultimate team culture where everyone is comfortable sharing and receiving information. His ability to build individual trust with each of his players is what allows him to get the most out of his guys and get them to the next level.

To learn more about the way Johnston coaches, check out his TCS profile where he explains many of the practice drills he puts his players through during their practices.

We are honored to welcome Mike Johnston to TCS Live in June where he will dive more into his successes at the sport’s highest levels.

Purchase your TCS Live tickets to see Johnston and the other TCS presenters up close and in person!

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Jack Strassner

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Jack Strassner grew up playing hockey in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Jack is a rising junior majoring in Sport Management, with a concentration in Marketing and Management, along with a minor in Coaching and Leadership, at the University of Michigan.